1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to dentistry, and more particularly for dental applications of digital, three-dimensional representations of dentition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dentistry today largely continues in the mold of the past, using techniques pioneered by ancient Egyptians. One basic technique for manufacturing a dental restoration, the so-called lost wax method, employs a wax pattern from which a metal casting is made. A mold of the wax pattern is made using a high-heat investment material. The mold is then heated in a furnace, the pattern is then burned out, and the investment ring is cast or filled with some type of alloy or some other substance to provide a final version of a dental restoration. A dentist bonds this prosthetic to a site in a patient's mouth that has been hand-prepared to match the prosthetic. As a significant disadvantage, a substantial burden is placed on practicing dentists to physically match restorations and tooth surfaces. Further complicating this process, the wax model itself is typically created from a physical cast of the patient's mouth. The casting process can introduce errors into a final restoration, as can material handling in the multiple steps carried out by a dental laboratory to go from the original dental impression to the final restoration.
In theory, digital dentistry offers manifest advantages of quality, portability, and durability as compared to cast models of physical impressions. However, advances in dentistry have been muted, at least in part due to the inability to easily capture adequate three-dimensional data for teeth and surrounding soft tissue. In addition, dentistry has achieved only limited gains from general improvements in manufacturing technologies because each dental patient and restoration presents a unique, one-off product.
There remains a need for dentistry tools that capture high-quality digital dental models, as well as tools that permit the design and manufacture of dental hardware from such models.